New Police Chief Plans Hands-On Role in Inglewood

Oliver M. Thompson, one of six deputy chiefs with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, takes over as Inglewood’s new police chief later this month with the reputation as a hands-on administrator well respected by the officers in the field.

Take, for example, his attitude toward the annual job evaluations that the 700 people working under him receive each year.

“He reads every one,” said Riverside Corrections Officer Scott Morgan, “and writes you a personal note and says congratulations on your good evaluation and I’m glad to see you’re doing well . . . or if there was something negative, he’d say work on that.”

“I’ve never had that done before,” Morgan added. “Just by that you know you’re important to the guy.”

Thompson, who will turn 50 three days before he takes over in Inglewood on March 23, said the importance of feedback from supervisors was driven home to him early on in his law enforcement career.

During a patrol briefing one day, a sergeant singled out a criminal incident report the young Deputy Thompson had written as the best report the sergeant had ever read.

“I remember how (good) it felt.” Thompson recalled. “And I said if I ever get to the top of an organization, I’ll remember to pat (people on their) backs. Let me tell you, that goes a long way in search of excellence. . . . If there are people out there and you remember them, then they support you.”

Thompson’s resume is as strong academically as his references from Riverside, where he has spent his 26-year law enforcement career.

He is one of the few police chiefs in the country with a Ph.D.--in public administration from USC.

Thompson’s Ph.D. dissertation, a study of police labor and management relations, dealt with the growing militancy of police unions, though his relations with union officials, according to one, have been far from rocky in Riverside.

“We’re actually saddened by the loss,” said Dean Likiardopoulos, president of the Riverside Sheriff’s Assn. “He’s highly educated and a very capable person. He’s very fair. I’ve heard many people express that.”

City Manager Paul Eckles announced Thompson’s appointment as chief after a six-month search to find a replacement for former Chief Raymond Johnson, who left in September for a job in Sacramento coordinating state law enforcement planning and research in the Department of Criminal Justice.

Thompson is reluctant to speculate about what changes, if any, he plans to make in the Inglewood Police Department, which has 208 officers and about 100 civilian employees.

“I haven’t seen any weaknesses, honestly,” he said. “Get back to me in 60 days. I’ll tell you after an assessment because I’m the kind of person who digs in.”

Thompson said he will be highly visible and accessible and his management style will reflect the importance of what he contends is the most critical cog in any law enforcement operation--the officer in the field.

“You never forget that it’s the field officer who goes out there every day . . . and has the contact with the public,” he said.

The new chief, who plans to move with his family from Riverside to Inglewood, said he does not believe that the Rodney G. King beating incident soured citizens on all police. People get to know, Thompson said, which police officers on the streets are prone to brutality and which ones are fair.

Graphic videotapes of King’s beating, Thompson said, have done nothing to change the respect that greets an officer with a reputation for fairness.

Thompson said supervisors must be able to spot early any hint of bitterness and anger developing in patrol officers.

Though relatively small compared to the Riverside Sheriff’s Department and its estimated 2,000 employees, the Inglewood department faces its own challenges policing the community. Public facilities such as the Forum and Hollywood Park racetrack attract thousands of well-heeled visitors, but the city itself has a host of urban problems ranging from poverty to high crime.

One of his top priorities, Thompson said, will be to continue the Police Department’s strong presence in schools. An ordained minister, Thompson has been active for many years in the jail ministry, counseling young offenders on how to put their lives back on track.

Hiring Latinos will also be a priority. The city manager, Thompson said, told him that is a pressing need in the city, where the Latino population, much of which is not English-speaking, has been mushrooming.

“I won’t be (just) a talking head,” Thompson said. “I’ll definitely be looking for qualified Hispanics.”